Film reel



July 5, 1949. M. LOPEZ-HEN RlQUEZ 2,475,036

FILM REEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1945 INVENTOR. fli yzqeLLopeg-Herzrizueg ITNESSES ATTORNEYS July 5, 1949. M. LOPEZ-HENRIQUEZ 2,

FILM REEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3, 1945 IN V EN TOR. fltguel Lopeg- Henriqueg WITNESSES Patented July 5, 1949 UNITE DEL S TATE OFF FILM R-EEL Miguel iipevflenriq'uez, New-*ork", N, Y

AppIic'ation'May 3;1945, Serial nez-591593 14 cla'li'liS'f -i Cl. 242 -70) fool-proof operation A preferl'dI'eIiibddimEht ortheinvention'.is

reel whieh'enab1es' it to assume 'a substantiallyi" horizontal position.

Fig. 3' is a face view ofon'esid ofthereelt Fig. 4 is a'fa'c'e View of the other side of the reel;

Figfifyistasectioned the line 5 5 of Figured;- I

Fig. '8' 'is"a"view' of the -hub portion" of the reel the end ofithestripv of film 6!) is inserted-under and r Fig. 12"is a section of a modified form of'the hub pbrtiowof there'els'howing it mounted'on' the supportftherefori and v hub or drum 50 hasa partly beveleirperipheral The 'firincipa'l" object-bf the invention is the surface 5| on which are formed spirally disposed beads 01' ridges 52; "Said"peripheral surface is beveled-in the-direction away from the wheel 30 to whichsaid drum'ofi hub i 50' is' affixed. 1 -=I-n the free sideof said-"huh 50, -equidistant from the center thereof, a plurality 'o'funiformly-spaced e holes *53 is'formed;

The wheel 2-0 is provided-with an aperture 2| which may I be m'ada'toregister "with holes 53 when said wheel "is rotated 'in axi'al 'alignment P with wheel'30." Aifixed-towheel' fll is an engag ing finger- 2-2ewhichinay o'e -made of spring steel.

Said finger:is-- ben-tto *project-into-aperture 2|. A pair oh-fingers '23 flankssaid bentfinger: 22

It will be noted -in--Figure 4- that wheel 'ZIJ has a h plurality of spokesM-which-are uniformly spaced projector 6|, but prior to the winding operation fingers? and over engaging.finger--22. -This has the efiect ofidrcing engaging. finger 22 inwardly against its own tensioned resistance, through aperture 2| and into one of the holes 53, thus "locking wheel 3|] and its drum'5fl against rotation relative to wheel 20. The fieripheral flange M on "'wheel '3ll prevents unwinding of the film,-as does ring j said reel:

former?" I The inner hub 40 comprises a ball bearingjthe" WheeI Z'U'being affixed totheinner sleeve'M there-'- relatively fiked ly'" mounted on" the outer sleeve 42' 'f' of hub or ball bearing 40. Actually, thereforej'th'e outer *hiib "Ordrum '50:-and"hencethewheel"3'0 thereto? afl'lxediare rotatablyrnountedrelative'to" the car) ring 32 shdwn Fig. 131 This is particularly true when the reel is mounted on a horizontal axis'durin'g'the feeding operation. It may be iound desirable to 'eliminate theperipheral flange 3! whenthe -cap ring' S'Z'is used, although both may beus'ed together." The space between the inner ed'ge'of fi'ang'et'l" and wheel 20 is siifficient to perin'it' the film t'o'fr'eely'pass therethrough and accordingly the film may readily be wound on the reel when supported inive'rtical position as shown in the "lower portion of-Fig; 1;

" fhefi'itds d'sifed'to ilnwihd the end which engagesnngr'in' is withdrawnfrom feel, the film under" fingers"23;"thiis' freeing finger 22 from engagement with drum 50. -Wheel 30 and drum which -is" forni'ed a radial key slot" 43 When the In Figures 9 and 10 it will"be"seen 'that outer' bii 5i) arei'nowfre'e to"rotate"relatively to Wheel 2! The reel'isplaced 'on'supportingshaft 44, the key 46 thereon entering .key -slot 43 or hub Ml, thus ously engaged finger 22, causes rotation of drum 5B and wheel 30 in consonance with the movement of the film, thereby effecting the unwinding of the film from the center of the reel. This is done through the wide space between the spokes of wheel 20. The beveled periphery 5| of drum 58, assists in easing the film off the drum. So do the beads 52 which are particularly useful when the film is wound tight around the drum.

It has been found that a substantially horizontal position of the reel during the unwinding operation is conducive to an easy flow of the film from the reel. Accordingly, the supporting arm 45 is provided with a substantially horizontal pivot construction 41 and a substantially horizontal idler pulley construction 48, the supporting shaft 44 on said arm being of substantially vertical construction. This can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. When the reel is mounted on said support, it is placed thereon with its wheel 30 facing downwardly, and its wheel 20 facing upwardly.

In Figure 11, the drum I0 is a modified form of drum 50. Its periphery H is not continuous. Rather sections are cut out of it to provide additional room for the moving film during the course of the unwinding operation.

In Figure 12 the hub 80 is a modified form of hub 40. It comprises an externally grooved inner hub member 8|, an internally grooved outer bushing 82 and a split retaining ring 83, said ring being carried within the grooves of said hub and bushing members. The split ring prevents axial movement of the hub and bushing members relative to each other, but permits of relative rotary movement of said members. This form of hub is a greatly simplified form, and one which is presently preferred.

The reel hereinabove described is only a presently preferred embodiment of the invention. Modifications thereof may be incorporated therein without departing from the broad principles of the invention.

Note should be made of the fact that the reel herein disclosed may be used in a wholly conventional manner in addition to the manner above described.

I claim:

1. A film reel construction comprising a pair of spaced side wheels which are mounted rotatably with respect to each other, a pair of hubs aflixed to said wheels, one of said hubs being carried within the other, means, during the winding operation, to lock the two hubs against rotation relative to each other and means to rotate said inner hub, and means, during the unwinding operation, to fix the inner hub against rotation, the outer hub being released for rotation relative to said inner hub.

2. A film reel comprising a pair of spaced side wheels which are mounted rotatably with respect to each other, a pair of hubs aflixed to said wheels, one of said hubs being carried within the other and being arranged to maintain the wheels in permanently assembled relationship, and releasable locking means for locking the one wheel and hub unit to the other wheel and hub unit against rotation relative to each other.

3. A film reel in accordance with claim 2 whose outer hub comprises a drum whose peripheral surface is beveled at one edge, said edge being the more distant edge from the wheel to which said drum is aifixed.

4. A film reel in accordance with claim 2 whose outer hub comprises a drum upon whose peripheral surface spirally disposed beads are formed.

5. A film reel in accordance with claim 2, the outer hub being provided with a plurality of holes which are equidistant from the center of the hub, the wheel to which the inner hub is affixed, having a hole which, when said wheel is rotated relatively to the outer hub, registers with said outer hub holes, a tensioned engaging finger afiixed to said inner hub wheel which is adapted, under pressure, to enter said outer hub holes through said inner hub wheel hole, and a pair of fingers adjacent said engaging finger, adapted to hold the end of a strip of film in pressure engagement with said engaging finger.

6. A film reel in accordance with claim 2 in which the inner hub comprises a roller bearing, the wheel which is afiixed thereto being afilxed to the inner sleeve thereof.

'7. A film reel construction in accordance with claim 1 in which the inner hub is provided with an inner key slot and the means to fix said hub against rotation during the unwinding operation consists of a key bearing, substantially vertically disposed shaft upon which said hub is caused to be mounted, said shaft being afiixed to a substantially horizontal supporting arm pivoted on a substantially horizontal pivot, to a projector.

8. A film reel in accordance with claim 2 in which the inner hub comprises an inner hub member having an annular external groove, an outer bushing member having an annular internal groove, and a split ring member, said ring being carried within said rooves to prevent axial movement of said inner hub member and said bushing member relative to each other.

9. In combination a film reel and a film strip wound thereon, said reel comprising lower and upper side wheels and bearing means supporting said side wheels so that they may rotate freely with respect to each other and permanently maintaining the wheels in spaced parallel concentric relationship, said lower wheel having a flange projecting upwardly towards the other wheel adjacent the periphery thereof the space between the inner edge of the flange and the other wheel being greater than the width of the film.

10. A film reel comprising a pair of side wheels, means for permanently retaining the wheels in spaced parallel concentric relationship while permitting them to rotate freely around their central axis with respect to each other, and a winding hub adapted to receive a film thereon mounted on one of said wheels so as to rotate therewith, a

' portion of the width of the periphery of the hub being transversely straight and parallel with the axis of the wheel and another portion being transversely beveled and tapered inwardly towards the center of the reel to facilitate withdrawal of the film therefrom.

11. A film reel as set forth in claim 10 in which the transversely straight portion of the hub is positioned adjacent the wheel on which the hub is mounted.

12. A film reel comprising a pair of side wheels and a pair of bearing members one connected to each of the wheels and supporting the wheels in spaced parallel relationship so that they may rotate freely with respect to each other, said bearing members being arranged in concentric relationship with one inside the other and the inner bearing member having an internal keyed aperture extending therethrough whereby the inner bearing and the wheel connected thereto may be retained against rotation.

13. A film reel comprising a pair of side wheels and a pair of bearing members, one connected to each of the wheels and supporting the wheels in spaced parallel relationship so that they may rotate freely with respect to each other, said bearing members being arranged in concentric relationship with one inside the other, the inner bearing member havin an external groove extending around its periphery and the outer bearing member having an internal groove in alignment with the groove on the inner bearing member and a retaining ring positioned in the groove between the two bearing members so that the bearing members are free torotate but are retained against axial separation.

14. A film reel comprising a pair of side wheels, means for permanently retaining the wheels in spaced parallel concentric relationship while permitting them to rotate freely around their central axis with respect to each other, and a winding hub adapted to receive a film thereon mounted on one of said wheels so as to rotate therewith, at least a portion of the hub being transversely 6 bevelled and taperin inwardly in a direction away from the wheel to which it is secured to facilitate withdrawal of the film therefrom.

MIGUEL LOPEZ-HENRIQUEZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent: 

